


crack my bones, but my heart won't break

by Set_Suna



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Concussions, Established Relationship, Hell, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Non-Graphic Violence, Other characters/relationships are background, Restraints, Undercover Missions, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26413762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Set_Suna/pseuds/Set_Suna
Summary: "You paused the movie, does that mean this is bad?" Ayda asked."Yeah kinda," Fig confirmed. Ayda smiled, happy she understood."Then... what is it?" Fabian prompted, twisting to look at her."I... uh..." Fig stuttered. She leaned down and showed Adaine the message."Riz is in hell?!" Adaine exclaimed.
Relationships: Riz Gukgak/Fabian Aramais Seacaster
Comments: 7
Kudos: 106
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	crack my bones, but my heart won't break

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Whumptober! Sorry in advance. I hope I don't hurt too bad. I won't be doing every day, but probably a few specific days I liked the prompts for. 
> 
> Title from 'Bones' by NateWantsToBattle

Riz couldn't feel his hands. The blood flow to them had stopped, leaving them completely numb. Something rough chaffed the skin on his wrists. He felt groggy. He was hot. Incredibly hot. His whole body was stiff and ached. He hissed as he leaned forward, slowly opening his eyes. The concrete floor beneath him had stains that he hoped weren't what he thought they were. Staring ahead, he could see his ankles tied to a vaguely familiar metal chair.

He tugged his arms. They didn't move. Waking quickly, he whipped his head around to check his bindings. Thick rope tied his hands together and kept them latched to a metal rod in the ground. A single light flickered above a dull iron table. His brain was fuzzy. Why was he here? What was he doing? _Why couldn't he remember anything?_

None of his things were in the room. His eyes were blurry, so he wasn't sure if that was entirely true. He hoped it wasn't. A screech of iron on stone pierced Riz's ears. He flinched, his head pulsing with pain so violent he nearly vomited. As the spots in his vision cleared, he could see who entered the room. 

A tall, slender, deep red tiefling woman shut the door behind her. The scratch of the door made him feel sick, but he held out. The woman leaned against the door for a moment, tapping her fingers against a dagger sheathed on her belt. She pulled herself forward with a heaving sigh. She stopped in front of Riz and put her hands on her hips. The woman leaned down to get eye level with him, purple eyes glittering in the low light. 

"Look, kid, I don't wanna be meaner than I have to be," she said dryly. "We know you're working for the guys upstairs so... it'd be real helpful if you just told us what you know."

 _The guys upstairs... What I know..._ It clicked in Riz's brain. He was on a mission from his dad. Some devils were playing with government elections to have more sway in the prime material. He'd been sent to do some minor reconnaissance when he'd been cornered. He was spying on some secret conversation in Bastion City when some goons overpowered him with sheer numbers. Riz wasn't giving up.

"Why do you think I work for these guys upstairs?" he asked.

"Simple. All of them have the same shit. We knew where to look to find yours," the tiefling told him. She straightened and walked off to the side, staring down at her nails, "Remember that suit jacket of yours? Those little wings are a nice touch, truly." 

Riz growled. So there was no point in that approach. The tiefling woman slipped one of her daggers out of it's sheath, sliding a finger along the curved blade. She flipped it in her hand and said, "There are lots of ways for us to get information out of you, kid. You can pick the easy option." 

He stayed silent. If he could still save this job, he'd keep what he learned to himself. Given the circumstances, Riz could assume he was in one of the layers of hell. Probably the Iron City of Dis. God, he'd gotten caught and shunted to hell. This was the worst possible outcome.

"Fine, fine, keep your secrets," the tiefling sighed, raising her hands. "Just know you force my hand." 

She moved to bang her fist on the iron door. The loud clanging echoed around the chamber. She started to step forward as a demon entered behind her. She tapped the flat of her blade to her chin and said, "Maybe you'll be willing to talk after we get to know each other a bit better." 

-

Movie night in Mordred Manor was passing amicably. Was Fabian's ideal movie choice _Mountains of Love?_ Not really, but he could use anything to get his mind off it's current preoccupation, so he went along with Fig's suggestion. To follow Sandra Lynn's rule of no more than one teenager per private room, they were all piled in a mess of blankets and pillows in the living room. Fabian leaned against the large sofa, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. Adaine returned from the kitchen, handing him a steaming cup of hot chocolate. 

"Did I miss anything?" she asked, settling back down. 

"Nothing worth mentioning," Fabian answered, welcoming the warmth of the mug in his hands. "This whole movie would be better not mentioned." 

"It is rather cliché," Adaine nodded, "and the love plots seem very unrealistic." 

"I know, I can't believe Kristen is crying over this," Fabian dredged, watching Kristen weep into Tracker's shoulder. 

"Well, I'll take it as long as we get an excuse to order pizza," Adaine shrugged, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. 

"Fair point," Fabian mumbled. 

He couldn't really focus on _Mountains of Love,_ not that he wanted to, but there was something else on his mind. That something was Riz. He'd left for Bastion City a few days ago, out on some mission from his father. He said he'd be back soon, no more than two or three days. At the end of the third day, Fabian was starting to worry. He knew Riz could handle himself, but he also knew he stuck hard to his plans. The little paranoid part of his brain worried about that. Tonight, he forced that part of him back and decided to focus on having a good time with his present friends. 

He heard a crystal vibrate around him. Fig shuffled around in her blankets on the sofa and dug out hers. She slid open a message and her eyes widened. 

"Whoa whoa whoa, I just got a message from my dad," Fig announced.

"Which one?" Gorgug asked.

"Gorthalax," Fig answered, reaching for the remote without looking and pausing the movie. "He was checking up on the Bottomless Pit for me this weekend."

"You paused the movie, does that mean this is bad?" Ayda asked. 

"Yeah kinda," Fig confirmed. Ayda smiled, happy she understood. 

"Then... what is it?" Fabian prompted, twisting to look at her. 

"I... uh..." Fig stuttered. She leaned down and showed Adaine the message. 

"Riz is in hell?!" Adaine exclaimed. 

_"What?!"_ Fabian followed up, ditching his hot cocoa to grapple the edge of the sofa. 

"Apparently, my dad saw his name in the souls being transferred," Fig elaborated. She read the text further and mumbled, "That... doesn't make sense, though. Riz didn't die."

"He was spying on demons for his dad, right?" Kristen questioned, finally over her tears. 

"Then did he get captured?" Gorgug wondered, leaning forward from in between Zelda and Ragh. 

"Probably, if he's not dead," Fig shrugged.

"Does it say where he's at?" Fabian cut in, climbing partway on the couch to try and read the text. 

"It's somewhere we've been," Fig said in an 'at least it's not worse' voice. "The Iron City of Dis."

"Where his dad was..." Adaine trailed off. 

"How did he get caught?" Fabian worried, sliding off the couch and putting a fist to his mouth. 

His foot began to tap anxiously against the floor. Riz was captured on his mission. He'd been taken to the Iron City of Dis. They'd found Pok Gukgak when he was being tortured and in undercover. Riz was doing undercover work. He _never_ got caught. He had information. Whoever took him and didn't kill him probably wanted that information. 

"I'll Sending him," Adaine decided, sitting up straight. "It has a five percent chance of failing, but, I think we can count on a response. If he's able to talk." 

Fabian felt his stomach twist, as well as eight pairs of eyes land on him. The sentence 'If he's able to talk' did not sit well with him. He sighed and hid his face in his hands. This was awful. He waved a hand and tiredly said, "Send the message." 

Adaine nodded quickly and focused. Her eyes began to glow a dim white as she began to speak. 

"Riz, it's Adaine. We know you're in Dis. Do you need help? Respond when you can. Don't put yourself in danger. We will help you." 

Fabian bit his tongue. The light in Adaine's eyes faded. They waited in a tense silence, hoping for a response. Fabian felt Fig's hands come down on his shoulders, giving him a reaffirming squeeze. Five minutes passed. Ten. Just before they hit the fifteen minute mark, Adaine inhaled sharply.

Her eyes welled with tears as her hand flew to her mouth. 

-

Adaine hated it. She didn't like any of what she was tasked to do. When Riz's voice sounded in her head, it was broken, dry, rasping. Like he'd been screaming and not allowed a drink of water for days. 

"Got caught... Want information..." The message was interrupted by a brief, painful sounding coughing fit. "I need help... Don't know how long... I have..." 

Adaine felt the line disconnect in her head. That was it. She felt tears dripping down her cheeks. She hastily wiped them away and looked up to face her friends. Fabian was looking at her, mortified. She shook her head, trying to hold back her tears.

"It isn't good," she said, her voice cracking. She managed to relay the message, but not without wiping more tears from her eyes. She grabbed Fabian's hand and croaked, "I'm sorry."

"Ayda, you still have Plane Shift, right?" Fig asked, turning to her girlfriend.

"Of course. It's scribed in my spellbook for all of eternity," Ayda explained. "Do we need it now? Should I cast Plane Shift?" 

"No, no, we should make sure we're prepared," Adaine reasoned, the only way she could keep herself calm in these situations. 

"We don't know how long he's been there," Fabian interjected. "If we just wait-"

"We'll be more ready," Adaine cut him off. "If we storm in now, we can't say we'll be fine. What if we fail and put all of us in danger and we can't save Riz?"

Fabian bit his lip, good eye watery. He slid down the couch and hid himself in his blanket. Adaine sighed shakily. She pulled her own blanket up over her shoulders and said, "Lets go to sleep." 

-

The single fluorescent light, swaying back and forth overtop the table, hurt Riz's eyes. The reflection of light off the metal table was much too bright. He thought he might have had a mild concussion before, now it was definitely worse. Through bleary eyes, he could see the dried blood staining his arms. They'd tied his arms to the back of the chair, making sure he could see what they did to him. He wasn't going to talk. They'd kill him before he did that. Still, he hoped his friends would get here before then. 

He wheezed, his bruised ribs aching. Time passed. Riz wouldn't be able to tell you how much. When the screech of the door finally echoed again, the wave of nausea overpowered him. He vomited, trying his best to avoid himself. The tiefling woman clicked her tongue.

"That's not very good," she hummed. She stuck her head out the door and said, "Get him up." 

The demon followed her in. Acid splashed across Riz's body, making him hiss. As his body reeled from the pain, he realized he didn't know what day it was. He didn't know how long they'd been prying him for information. All he knew was that he couldn't talk, no matter how bad it hurt or how much he wanted to cry out. He had to hold out. His friends would be here soon. They wouldn't leave him here. They wouldn't. 

"Aren't you tired?" the tiefling started. "Don't you just want to give up? You can end this whenever you want, kid. You just have to tell us what you know." 

Riz tilted his head back, looking up to meet the tiefling's eyes. He may have seen two of her, but his conviction was there. She sighed and shook her head. 

"You're making this so much harder than it needs to be," she said, reaching for her belt. Riz prepared himself, expecting a knife, but stopped when he saw her pull out a syringe. She flicked it a few times with her finger and said, "We're running out of time, kid. No more holding out on us." 

She took a step closer. Riz began to struggle. He tugged at his arms and tried to pull his wrists apart. He felt some wounds on his arms reopen as he tried to get loose. He didn't know what was in that syringe. If that was able to make its full course through his body, he'd be toast. Still looking at the thick white liquid in the syringe, the tiefling woman pulled a dagger from her belt and planted it in Riz's leg. Unprepared, he let out a yell. That gave her just enough time to stick the syringe in his arm and inject him with whatever was inside. 

Riz was struggling for breath. _No. Nononono._ He pulled at his restraints again, growling at the pain in his leg from the knife. The tiefling stepped back, taking her knife with her. Riz's vision went spotty. He was going to die. They were going to get what they wanted from him and then he'd die. 

"There, not so bad now was it?" she said, as if she was a doctor who just gave him a flu shot. She tossed the syringe aside and crossed her arms, leaning against a wall. "Now all we have to do is wait. You'll loosen those lips soon enough." 

Riz felt himself disconnecting. His thoughts started to jumble as he tried to hold on to them. He was an intern for the Lower Planar Reconnaissance Task Force. He was the son of undercover angel Pok Gukgak and detective Sklonda Gukgak. He was a student at Aguefort Adventuring Academy. He was a part of The Bad Kids. They were coming to save him. _They were coming to save him._

He became less and less able to hold on to those thoughts. He closed his eyes and tried to focus. He pictured everything in his head. His mom, his dad, his friends. He pictured Fabian, kissing him goodbye before he left for this mission. Then, he slipped away. Riz couldn't muster the energy to remember his face. 

He opened his eyes to see the room spinning. His already blurry eyesight hindered him further. The light seemed harsher than before, and he winced at even a glance its direction. 

"I see its starting to kick in," the tiefling's voice came muffled to his ears. 

He heard a dull _boom_ from somewhere. He didn't seem to be imagining it, because the tiefling cast her eyes upward. She nodded to the pit fiend and ordered, "Go check it out." 

The demon left, leaving Riz alone with the tiefling in this horrible room. She squatted in front of Riz again, running a hand along his chin. He tried to pull back, registering the feeling of uncomfortableness as her fingers brushed his skin. He didn't have the strength. 

"You'll tell me everything you know now, kid. We're close. You can trust me," she whispered, tilting her to the side, sly smile on her face. 

Riz couldn't figure out if it was a lie or the truth. 

-

Fabian was pacing in front of the kitchen archway. Fandrangor at his side, Owlbears jacket tied around his hips, sheet draped over his shoulder, he was ready to go. If only Kristen would hurry the hell up. They didn't have much time.

Adaine ran over to the stairs and called, "Can you two please hurry up! Fabian's pacing is stressing me out!" 

"I'm sorry!" Fabian said exasperatedly. "There's too much nervous energy in me to sit still!" 

"We're here, sorry!" Tracker gasped, jumping the last two steps and careening into the living room, Kristen right behind her. 

"Are we ready? Should I cast the spell?" Ayda asked, standing from her seat in the kitchen. 

"Yes, please, if you would," Adaine answered, stepping close to her side. 

"Hey mom! Jawbone! We're going to hell! We'll probably be back by dinner!" Fig yelled into the house. 

"What?!" Sandra Lynn's voice called back as they left the material plane behind. 

The change from Elmville to the Iron City of Dis was immense. The temperature rose instantly. The weight of every mortal sin practically held you down instead of gravity. Fabian shivered. He usually saw his Papa when he came here. Now it felt totally isolating. 

Adaine's voice brought him back to reality, "Alright, I'm going to see if I can find him." 

Her eyes glowed white with her diviner's magic. She blinked rapidly, effectively strobe lighting her eyes. 

"What?" Gorgug asked hesitantly. 

"He's here. In this building," Adaine reported. "He's downstairs." 

They had transported directly into the room Riz had found Pok in before. This was the same building. These two incidents were not unrelated. Fabian steeled his resolve. He cracked his knuckles and said, "Then lets go kick some demon ass, shall we?" 

Fabian followed Adaine's direction, leading the charge downward. He felt rather powerful, having so many strong friends backing him up. He was literally flanked by three barbarians. He had no concerns about beating the shit out of whoever kidnapped his boyfriend. He was worried they'd be too late. 

Coming into another dark hall, the amount of guards drastically increased. There were three devils in this hall alone. He couldn't say there weren't others in the rooms around them. That didn't stop him from charging forward. 

"We should come up with a plan-! Oh, fuck it," Adaine grumbled, readying a spell. 

Fabian rushed forward, tossing his sheet over a devil's head to blind it. He slashed it twice across the chest, leaving a bloody X. It roared in pain, definitely alerting the others to their presence. Gorgug and Ragh followed up, slashing deep into the fiend's arms and torso. Adaine released her spell, shooting a lightning bolt straight down the hall, catching them all in the blast. Fig shredded a powerful chord on her bass, causing the first devil's head to explode. 

"Riz is in a room at the end of the hall!" Adaine announced, her eyes losing their white glow as she dropped concentration. "Fabian, take Kristen and go!" 

Fabian flattened his lips and nodded. All too suddenly, he felt fear flare up in him again. These things had captured Riz. They had tortured him. Instead of fear, Fabian let rage build in his chest. He let out Gorgug-like yell, charging forward as Ayda flew overhead, releasing a cone of cold on the two pit devils still in the hallway. Kristen ran up on his right, giving him a determined thumbs up. As they approached the end of the hall, another demon was closing an iron door behind it.

He hurried to a stop, taking up a fighting stance. A wild yell preceded the entrance of Zelda, launching over Fabian and embedding her greataxe in the demon's shoulder. Tracker followed up, blasting the thing in the chest with a ray of radiant magic. She kissed Kristen on the cheek and said, "You two get going, we have it out here." 

Fabian darted ahead, sliding between the demon's legs and popping up on the other side. He reared back and rammed the door with his shoulder as Kristen appeared beside him. His attempt was futile, only resulting in a deeply aching shoulder. 

"Together this time," Kristen instructed.

"Yeah yeah I get it," Fabian brushed her off. 

"1, 2, 3!" Kristen counted, ramming against the door at the same time Fabian kicked it. And the door flew open.

-

Riz couldn't hold on to a thought long enough to get it out of his mouth. Each question the tiefling asked him, he failed to answer. He tried to mumble out words that only came out as noises. Maybe the tiefling was getting frustrated, maybe she was happy to see him suffer. Nothing made sense to his addled brain. 

The tiefling got to her feet and stomped away from him. She ran a hand through her hair, "Stupid goons... don't even know proper dosage." She spun to face him, eyes sharp and serious. "Focus, I need you to tell me who exactly you work for." 

_Dad... Pok Gukgak..._ The thought came easily. The effort of moving his mouth was what stopped him. He only managed a hum in the vague syllables of his father's name. The tiefling inhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

She began to storm at him as she said, "We don't have _time_ for this! Tell me who you work for and say it-!"

The iron door flew open, banging against the wall behind it. Riz flinched from the noise, his ears ringing. He recognized the two people standing in the doorway. Bright red hair and deep blue and purple tie dye: Kristen. Silver hair and brown skin, red jacket around his hips: Fabian. He gazed up at Fabian, unable to focus on his face. He could only vaguely pull his features from his memory. Why couldn't he remember Fabian?

He was barely able to see the wave of anger overtaking Fabian's face. He spun on the tiefling and lunged at her, piercing his rapier through her abdomen. As she cried out in pain, Kristen ran up to him. She got to work undoing his bonds. Between each knot, she looked up at him, sad look on her face.

"God, Riz," she mumbled, "what did they do to you?" 

He opened his mouth, wanting to respond. This was Kristen. He could talk to her. He was safe talking to her. He croaked, "Dr... ug..." 

Kristen finished untying his arms. He immediately fell forward, collapsing into her chest. Kristen held him up, putting a hand on his face. Her hand began to glow the deep purple of twilight.

"You're gonna be okay, bud," Kristen promised, sending her magic through his body. 

Riz felt the fog in his mind begin to clear. He let out a shuddering breath. Kristen had forced the drug out of his system. He was able to hold himself up a bit more, enough to watch Fabian slice Fandrangor across the tiefling's throat. Blood sputtered from the wound as she spun on her feet and collapsed to the ground. He was breathing heavy, that rage in his eye slowly quelling. He looked up, meeting Riz's gaze. 

"Riz," he breathed, relief flooding into his voice. He sheathed his sword and dropped to his knees in front of him. Fabian pulled Riz close, burying his face in his neck. Riz squeezed him tight, sucking in a shaking breath. 

"You're here," he whispered scratchily. 

"I'm here," Fabian assured him. 

Kristen slid her hand over Riz's arms, a powerful Cure Wounds sealing most of the cuts and easing the bruises. The cool magical energy relaxed his muscles instantly. She clambered to her feet and hurried to the door, announcing, "I'm gonna check on the others!"

Fabian nodded, getting to his feet with Riz still in his arms. Riz latched himself to Fabian, not ready to stand on his own and be brave just yet. He wasn't sure if he actually could. Fabian pressed a kiss to the side of his head. 

"Don't worry," Fabian said huskily, "we're gonna get you out of here." 

Riz, toeing the line of conscious and unconscious, nodded into Fabian's chest. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to go home. He'd had enough. 

-

Fig could see Fabian burst from the room at the end of the hall. She released a breath seeing Riz in his arms. He looked terrible, but he was safe now. She could work with that. She strummed a tune on her bass and shattered a few more devils, clearing the path for Fabian to reach them safely. 

She slipped her crystal out of her pocket, making sure she wasn't hallucinating. It should be happening, the plan she'd set up. She jumped back as a chain whipped out her direction. She bumped shoulders with Ayda, who launched a demon into the wall before looking down at her.

"Are you alright? Do you need any healing?" she asked. 

"I'm fine, promise. Are you ready?" Fig countered, smirk crossing her lips.

Ayda's eyes lit up, fun smile spreading on her cheeks. She said, "Yes, I saved a spell slot just for this."

"Good," Fig grinned, winking her bardic inspiration. "Love you!" 

"I love you... so much," Ayda responded, quickly turning to block a demon's claws with a Shield. 

Fabian dashed back their direction, ducking under arms and jumping over axes and tails. Fig yelped when a devil's fist smashed his back, sending him flying their direction. He skid across the floor, landing directly between Adaine and Gorgug. Fabian wasn't looking so good now. Fig glanced around worriedly. _C'mon, Dad, any second now..._

Fig backed up a bit, casting a Thunderwave as she went. It went as she hoped, pushing back the devils on top of her and Ayda. They were all starting to crowd at the end of the hallway now. Gorgug helped Fabian up, practically dragging him away from the fight. Kristen ran up to them, firing up another Cure Wounds. 

"So... what's the plan to get out of here?" Adaine asked, glancing at Fig warily. "You said you had one, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Fig answered defensively. "Hopefully he'll get here soon."

"He?"

Perfectly punctuated, the wall behind them exploded inward. Silhouette looming, shoulders broadening, Gorthalax stepped into the hallway. 

"Hi Dad!" Fig exclaimed. 

"Hey kiddo!" he replied, reaching to ruffle her hair. "Did I make it in time?" 

"Yeah! We're pretty much all set." 

"Do you mind if I ask what the plan is here?" Adaine questioned, knocking a demon out with a Ray of Sickness. 

"My dad's gonna open a portal back to our plane! He can travel through them freely, and since we used our Plane Shift for the day, I thought a bit ahead!" Fig explained.

Adaine stopped, nodded, and brushed her hands off on her jeans. She remarked, "I'm actually kinda impressed." 

"Should I cast the spell now?" Ayda asked.

"Yes! Do your thing, babe!" Fig encouraged. 

"Everything you say makes my heart beat so fast," Ayda said openly. 

She turned, holding out her hands with the palms down. She flipped them upward, closed them to fists, and tugged skyward. The stone of the floor shot to the ceiling, sealing them off from their devil pursuers. 

"Alright, kids, it's go time," Gorthalax announced, taking an axe off his back and slashing through the air. Where his axe made a cut, a portal opened, through which Fig could see the wraparound porch of Mordred Manor. He waved them forward and urged, "Everyone in the portal, lets go, lets go!"

Fig leaped through, taking Ayda by the hand and dragging her with her. She whooped as she landed on the dirt driveway of Mordred Manor. She spun around, immediately going to help the others through. As they all tumbled through, Fig could hear the devils and demons pounding at the stone. At the last second, her dad jumped through the portal. He knocked back a devil before sealing the rift behind him. Fig did a quick headcount and released a breath. They were home.

-

Riz came back to consciousness in an unfamiliar bed. His head pulsed with a steady pain. He kind of remembered what happened. His friends had come for him. He wasn't in danger anymore. He fully opened his eyes slowly, gradually adjusting. He let out a bothered hum. It had to be pretty late in the afternoon for it to be so bright. 

"Riz?" Adaine's voice breathed. 

He fully opened his eyes, now. Adaine stood across the room, with her body halfway out the door. As Riz sat up, she shot forward to his bedside. She reached into her jacket and pulled out a bottle of pain meds. 

"Are you alright? How do you feel?" she asked, squeezing the pill bottle in her hand. 

"I've felt worse," Riz told her, pushing his palms into his eyes, trying to massage away the ache. 

She popped two pills out of the bottle, grabbed a glass of water off the side table, and handed them to him. "Here." 

He downed them gratefully. He shook his head slightly and set the now empty glass between his legs. He met Adaine's relieved gaze. 

"Have I been asleep for too long?" he asked, tapping the glass nervously. 

"It's been a day since we brought you back. It looked like you needed the rest," Adaine answered, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

"What about the others?" 

"They're around," she told him vaguely. "There's someone who definitely wants to see you, though." 

Riz couldn't help but smile sheepishly at the easy jab. Someone had changed his clothes, thankfully. He didn't look like a complete mess. Putting his full weight on his leg was a bad idea he didn't realize until too late. The stab wound shot pain through his leg, making him grab onto Adaine's shoulders for support. 

With her help, he was able to make it downstairs. Mordred Manor was oddly quiet. It felt like the house was in mourning. The floorboards creaked louder than they should. Riz felt a large lack of life in the house.

Reaching the first floor, Adaine lead him to the kitchen. She announced, "Look whose awake." 

Fabian was the only one at the kitchen island. He had his head resting on his arms. He looked up fast, meeting Riz's eyes. Riz smiled awkwardly and quietly said, "Hi." 

Fabian leaped from his chair, running over to take Riz up in his arms, making Adaine warn him with a sharp, "Careful!" Riz didn't really care, he was already a sore pile of bones, he would gladly suffer a little pain to be hugged by his boyfriend. He grinned as Fabian leaned away, checking him over at least three times. He sighed and pulled Riz into another hug, burying his face in Riz's hair. 

"I was so worried about you," Fabian mumbled. 

"I'm okay now," Riz insisted, tightening his grip on Fabian's shirt. 

"How did you get caught?" he asked in disbelief, pulling back again. 

Riz shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't think I was spotted while I was getting information."

"Maybe it was just a magic alarm thing you didn't know you were crossing," Adaine suggested, who had started making tea on the stove. 

"Maybe," Riz agreed, "but it doesn't really matter now. I got the info I needed. The whole thing's over." 

"But..." Fabian hesitated. He squeezed Riz's shoulders and quietly asked, _"Are_ you okay?" 

Riz's first instinct was to say "I'm fine", but the look on Fabian's face stopped that. His concern was shown plainly on his features. Being truthful, Riz couldn't forget how it felt to have that syringe pierce his skin. If he let the thought linger long enough, he could still feel the dagger in his leg. So, Riz didn't lie. 

He smiled sadly up at Fabian and said, "I will be." 

Fabian nodded, pushing back some of Riz's hair. Riz stood on his tip toes to meet Fabian in a kiss. Riz knew this would stay with him for a while, but he also knew he wasn't alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate any and all comments/kudos you choose to leave! 
> 
> You can follow my [tumblr](https://quibbels.tumblr.com/) for fic updates and my [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/quiblii) to see more stuff from me!


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